Garcia: Lukaku not a Belgium World Cup starter, De Bruyne ‘happy’ with two Napoli things | OneFootball

Belgium national team coach Rudi Garcia admits Romelu Lukaku won’t be an immediate starter at the World Cup and insists Kevin De Bruyne is ‘happy’ with Napoli fans and the city: ‘Those are not the issues…’

Belgium are preparing for the 2026 World Cup with many familiar Serie A faces in their team.

The Red Devils have been included in Group G with Egypt, Iran and New Zealand.

“First of all, we want to go beyond the group phase, which would be an improvement compared to 2022,” Garcia told Gazzetta.

“Then we’ll see. It will also depend on the opponents we’ll face. But the spirit will be to remain in the race until New York.”

The ex-Napoli coach mentioned “France, Spain, Argentina, maybe even England and Brazil,” among the favourite teams to win the trophy, and added: “We are no longer the nation that led the FIFA Ranking for six years. We are outsiders, and it’s okay. These are situations I’m accustomed to as a coach.”

Napoli star Lukaku played only 60 minutes for the Partenopei in 2025-26 due to a serious muscle injury sustained during pre-season.

Back in March, he irritated Napoli by remaining in Belgium to train individually without the club’s consent.

NAPLES, ITALY – FEBRUARY 10: Romelu Lukaku of SSC Napoli reacts after missing a penalty in the penalty shootout during the Coppa Italia match between SSC Napoli and Como 1907 at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on February 10, 2026 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

“Honestly, I thought he’d be in worse shape after long inactivity. At Napoli, he had no space, and I hope he can play consistently in the future,” Garcia said.

“I’m happy he’s recovered, because Belgium don’t have another player like him. We’ll have to manage him carefully, anyway. I know everyone wants to see him start against Egypt, but that won’t be the case. We’ll take it step by step.”

Kevin De Bruyne, on the other hand, recently complained about his former coach Antonio Conte, and even Garcia expressed concerns after a brief spell as the Partenopei boss in 2023, saying he was unhappy with President Aurelio De Laurentiis.

“He [De Bruyne] is doing well in Naples. The fans and the city are amazing. Those are not the issues, but I don’t want to reignite the controversy regarding my previous experience,” Garcia said.

“To me, the only thing that counts is that De Bruyne is happy to play for  Belgium.”

Milan’s Alexis Saelemaekers is also part of the Belgium squad but will be disappointed after missing out on Champions League qualification.

Former Napoli head coach Rudi Garcia prior the UEFA Champions League Group C soccer match between Union Berlin and SSC Napoli in Berlin, Germany, 24 October 2023. EPA-EFE/Filip Singer

“De Winter too, but I know that when you get to the World Cup, certain memories disappear and you only think about the national team. Alexis is a precious footballer, because he can play everywhere, like Florenzi in my Roma,” Garcia said.

“I’ll also rely on De Ketelaere. He scored fewer goals than in the past this season, but was more consistent.”

Juventus’ Lois Openda, on the other hand, was not included in the Belgium squad.

“It was painful to leave him out, but I couldn’t call two strikers who didn’t play for their clubs. I picked Lukaku,” concluded Garcia.